 |
| Friday, February
16, 2001, Chandigarh, India   
|
BJP rejects Jaya’s overtures Bhagwat’s book flays George CWC: ‘left-out
leaders’ to be accommodated Census: disabled not included Koijam sworn in CM |
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Grants given for 125 water schemes
|
|
BJP rejects Jaya’s overtures Chennai, February 15 Senior BJP leader and Union Rural Development Minister Venkaiah Naidu told reporters here that there was no question of his party leaving the DMK in Tamil Nadu. Speculation about the AIADMK making overtures to the BJP through third parties was rife ever since pro-BJP member of Parliament and political commentator Cho Ramaswamy had several rounds of talks with AIADMK Supremo J. Jayalalitha. Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi had also said recently that a Central minister had tried to rope in the AIADMK into the NDA. This is the first time that a prominent BJP leader has confirmed that the PMK had in fact made such a proposal. The PMK had no differences with the BJP and had left the NDA for other reasons, Mr Naidu said. Referring to Congress President Sonia Gandhi’s criticism of the relief efforts in the quake-ravaged Gujarat, Mr Naidu said Ms Gandhi had made an “immature” criticism of the government’s relief efforts. Stating that he had visited the quake-ravaged areas of the state and that relief was reaching everywhere, he said “It is true that Congressmen had organised relief camps at roadsides along Ms Gandhi’s route,’’ when she visited the state. Let the Congress and other opposition parties compete with the government in offering relief to the affected people rather than make “immature” criticism, Mr Naidu said. “Let them see the relief work being done by the RSS and the Swaminarayan Temple in Gujarat,” he pointed out. He said he had yesterday given orders to release Rs 100 crore from the Union Ministry of Rural Development to the Gujarat Chief Minister for relief work in the state, including reconstruction of drinking water sources. His ministry would also undertake the construction of one lakh houses for the people below the poverty line, besides assisting in the rebuilding of schools which had been destroyed by the quake, Mr Naidu said.
UNI |
|
Bhagwat’s book flays George New Delhi, Feburary 15 Although the former Admiral has not kept quiet during the period after his dismissal in December 1998, but this is for the first time that he has said that after his sacking no Chief of Army, Navy or Air Force could look into the eyes of his men. He has also accused certain mediapersons of playing into the hands of Mr George Fernandes, who he said had also launched a media campaign against the former Chief of Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal S.K. Sareen. The 416-page book, which has been titled as “Betrayal of the Defence Forces”, has been published by Manas Publications. The first of its previews were available on an Internet site www.Indiadefence.com. In a chapter titled, “A Matter of Honour” the former Admiral has said that after the final blow had been delivered by the Defence Minister, he had replaced the Chief of Naval Staff of a Republic with, “another officer, his private choice, at will, without due process”. While quoting from the autobiography of Admiral Sir Andrew Cunningham, A Sailor’s Odyssey, that it takes three years to build a ship, three hundred years to build a tradition and an dishonour to destroy it all, former Admiral Vishnu Bhagwat has said, “George Fernandes has not dismissed Admiral Vishnu Bhagwat, he has destroyed an institution”. “No chief of Army, Navy and Air Staff could look into the eyes of his men. They had reduced themselves to pygmies from being leaders overnight,” he said. |
|
CWC: ‘left-out
leaders’ to be accommodated New Delhi, February 15 “Though reconstitution of the CWC is a matter of rotation, experience is very important for being included in the policy making body. However, there are so many senior leaders, who have been working for the party for decades together. But all of them can’t be accommodated in the CWC,” Congress media cell chief and CWC member Ambika Soni, flanked by the newly appointed Chief Spokesman Jaipal Reddy and other members of the Media Cell, told newspersons here today. |
|
Census: disabled not included New Delhi, February 15 Such complaints have been brought to the notice of disability rights activist and Executive Director, National Centre for Promotion of Employment for Disabled Persons (NCPEDP), Javed Abidi. In two separate letters to NCPEDP and the Registrar-General and Census Commissioner, a resident of Salem, R Balasubramaniam, has requested them to instruct all officers concerned that enumerators must ask about disabled people as well. Mr Balasubramaniam said that a Census enumerator called on them but did not ask whether there were any disabled people in the house. When the enumerator was about to leave, Mr Balasubramanian’s wife volunteered information that there was a disabled person in the house. Ironically, a similar case was reported to Mr Abidi by his father, Prof S. Ishtiaque Abidi, who lives in South Delhi near the Qutab Minar. Mr Abidi’s parents told him that when they reminded the enumerator to pose the question on disability, only then she asked whether any member of the family was disabled. Mr R G Mitra, Deputy Registrar-General, Census, told TNS that the Registrar-General’s office had set up a call centre for taking public complaints and a control room two days back in their office. “Apart from reviewing the progress of the Census exercise in the control room, the call centre will receive public complaints. People can forward such complaints at 3383357 or fax their
grievances at 3384816. We also plan to set up call centres in other parts of the country. These complaints will be directed to the Census Directors concerned.” Asked what action would be taken against the enumerators for their lapse in recording the facts on disability, Mr Mitra said, “Action can be taken under the provisions of the Census Act, 1948. In any case, most enumerators are government servants and we can take disciplinary action against them.” |
|
Koijam sworn in CM Imphal, February 15 Governor Ved Prakash Marwah administered the oath of office and secrecy to the new Chief Minister. He was the only person to take the oath of office. Mr Koijam later told reporters that his ministry would be expanded soon by inducting representatives of all constituents of the peoples Front. To a query, Mr Radhabinod Koijam, who is the Samata Party Legislature Group leader, said the degradation of value-based politics was not confined to Manipur alone but a national phenomenon. The Chief Minister said priority would be accorded to peaceful dialogue with underground outfits, maintenance of law and order and resolution of the financial crisis.
|
Grants given for 125 water schemes Hanumangarh, February 15 The inlet channel from the irrigation canal of Hanumangarh and Sriganganagar districts is in a damaged condition and has not been repaired for many years. The department has given a sanction for repair of the inlet. The Assistant Chief Engineer of the Bikaner division of the department, Mr V.D. Meena, said Rs 59.71 lakh and Rs 31.91 lakh have been sanctioned in Sriganganagar for water works schemes and Hanumangarh districts, respectively. In Bikaner district, the department has given a sanction of Rs 29.97 lakh for eight water works schemes. Mr Meena said the capacity of water tanks in the villages would also be increased. Under the scheme, tubewells would be installed and depth of the existing tubewells increased. For the 36 schemes in Churu district, a sanction of Rs 58.68 lakh has been given, he added. |
 |
| Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir | Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs | Nation | Editorial | | Business | Sport | World | Mailbag | In Spotlight | Chandigarh Tribune | Ludhiana Tribune 50 years of Independence | Tercentenary Celebrations | | 121 Years of Trust | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | Suggestion | E-mail | |
